Come Fly With Me
by HP Fan four
Summary: Harry, as new Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, has to find a new Keeper since Wood's left. Then Ginny comes on the scene and Harry's feelings go haywire...H/G..CHAPTER SEVEN UPLOADED!!
1. There's Something About Ginny...

A loud rustling filled the Great Hall as hundreds of owls came streaming in with the morning post on the first day of the new school year at Hogwarts. Harry looked up instinctively, scanning the cloud of owls for any sign of Hedwig, hoping she'd brought Sirius's update on his and Lupin's progress on carrying out Dumbledore's plan to stop Voldemort, but there was no white among the hundreds of brown and grey owls circling the house tables. Harry returned to his breakfast feeling very disappointed, and didn't notice the screech owl that came soaring down towards him until it knocked over his pumpkin juice, spilling it all over his scrambled eggs. Curious as to who else would write to him, Harry took the letter from the owl's beak and unfolded it.  
"I don't believe it!" he cried a second later as he scanned the short note.  
"What?" said Ron through a mouthful of toast.  
"I've been elected the new captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" said Harry disbelievingly as he handed the letter to Ron and Hermione for them to read. "I forgot we needed a new captain since Wood left!"  
"Wow," was all Ron could think of saying.   
"Well done, Harry," Hermione beamed at him.  
"But-but I dunno how to be a captain!" said Harry.   
"Easy, just do everything Wood did," grinned Ron. "You know, work the team to death, never shut up about winning the cup, make team practices eight days a week...basically, all you've got to do is be a fanatic and you'll be fine!"  
"There's a PS," Hermione pointed out. "Have you read it, Harry?"  
Harry took the note back and read the last bit he'd overlooked and groaned.  
  
"As you know, Gryffindor are a player short. As captain it will be your job to find us a Keeper.   
Prof. M. McGonagall."  
  
***  
  
"Any luck?" Ron asked Harry a week later as he and Hermione entered the Gryffindor changing rooms.  
Harry, sitting on a bench, with his head hung from exhaustion, shook his head dejectedly.   
"It's been a week since I put that notice up on the Gryffindor notice board and I've been getting auditions every single night, but no one's good enough." Harry sighed. "And we can't afford to take on rubbishy players because we've got to win that cup!"  
"Wow, you really are starting to sound like Wood!" said Ron, half joking half impressed.  
"I never really realised how good Wood was until he left," Harry sighed. "There's no one left who's half as good as he was."  
"Look Harry, I think you've had enough auditioning for one day," said Hermione seriously. "Come on back up to the castle and get some supper. It's getting really late."  
"I'll be up in a minute," Harry said, getting up. "I just need to change out of these Quidditch robes. I'll see you in the Great Hall...."  
Ron and Hermione had only been gone a minute, when there was a knock on the changing room door. Harry, who was just pulling his Hogwarts robes out of his locker, groaned and pulled the door open, rather harder than he'd intended in his state of depression and exhaustion. Standing in the doorway was one of the last people he'd expected to see at this time of night on the edge of the Quidditch pitch.   
Their face was hidden in the shadows of the stadium, but there was no mistaking the long folds of fiery orange hair that fell neatly over the shoulders and back.  
"Ginny?" Harry exclaimed, squinting into the shadowy doorway.  
"Good evening, Harry" she replied cheerfully, but with a touch of nervousness Harry could only just make out. "I, um, I know you're in charge of the try-outs for the new Keeper and Ron said you still had no luck and I was wondering if maybe you'd give me a chance...?"   
"Come in," was all Harry could think of saying. As she stepped into the lantern-lit changing rooms, Harry gave a small inward marvelling gasp. It was definitely Ginny Weasley, but there was something very different about her. Perhaps it was because he'd been denied permission by Dumbledore to visit the Burrow this past summer and he hadn't seen any of the Weasleys until he boarded the Hogwarts Express, or perhaps because he'd never really paid too much attention to her in the past, but Harry had never noticed how Ginny had suddenly grown taller, how she's lost weight, how she moved rather gracefully, how her eyes were.... Harry shook himself mentally. Everyone grows up, why should Ginny be any exception? That was no reason to go getting any ideas. Besides, Harry knew how wrong it was to judge people by their looks, he'd realised just what a bad move it was once he discovered the only feelings he had for Cho was admiration for her beauty. All the same, there was something about Ginny's eyes....  
"So, you want to be our Keeper then?" Harry asked with a small smile. "I didn't know you were into flying."  
"Well, I love watching people fly, an I'm dying to fly properly myself, but I just really can't get he hang of it. I mean I fly around on Ron's old Shooting Star during the summer, but well, I'm nowhere near as good as y- I mean as some people are," Ginny's eyes locked on Harry's for a moment before quickly looking away. "But I thought I'd try for Keeper anyway, just in case you were really desperate," she added with a laugh.  
There was something about that laugh that Harry couldn't quite shake off. He had no idea Ginny could talk so much, he'd never heard her speak so freely and it was really nice seeing this whole new side of her, as opposed to the quiet, shy, blushing Ginny he'd always known.   
"Well, we are desperate, the first match of the season's next week," said Harry. "But..." Just then he felt a yawn rising inside him, which had had to work very hard to try to stifle.   
"Oh, I'm sorry Harry!" Ginny said quickly. "I know you've been at this all evening. I'm sorry, that was really selfish of me...you must be exhausted."  
"Nah, I'm fine," said Harry, which was mostly true - he felt a lot more awake now that Ginny was with him, though he couldn't for the life of him explain why. "Look, you're a bit late for the try-outs, our Chasers have gone back up to the castle for the evening...."  
Ginny's face fell. "Oh. Well, I'll come back tomorrow, then..." though it was pretty obvious from her tone that she didn't really intend to.  
"No! Don't go!" Harry blurted before he could ever begin to speculate why he wanted her to stay so much. Ginny looked at him with an expression he found hard to read. One eyebrow was slightly raised in a look of suspicious surprise, yet the corners of her mouth were raised in a small smile. "I'll tell you what, I'll give a quick flying lesson if you like."  
Ginny's eyes lit up. "Now?"  
"If you like."  
Harry grabbed his Firebolt and held the door open for Ginny, who flashed him a grateful smile as she walked past. Next moment, they were out in the inky-black shadows of the vast Quidditch stadium. Harry was about to light the floodlights surrounding the pitch with his wand, when they flickered on themselves. Glancing to his left, he saw Ginny pocketing her wand. When she spotted him staring at her, she gave him another smile; a rather mischievous one that said "beat you to it!"  
There was something about Ginny's smiles that made Harry feel.... oh, never mind, he thought quickly as he automatically tried defining the effect her smiles had on him.  
"Right, let's see what you've got," said Harry, handing his Firebolt over to Ginny who took it with some apprehension. "Just fly around the nearest goal hoop and come back."  
With a slightly nervous look on her beautif- (stop thinking that way! Harry snapped at himself) face, Ginny clambered onto the Firebolt and kicked off. As she flew, Harry could feel the love of flying he always had, radiating from Ginny as she flew slightly awkwardly, but determinedly around the nearest hoop and landed in a slightly ungainly manner. She looked up at Harry, still clutching the Firebolt between her legs, waiting for his opinion.  
Harry walked over to her and heaved his leg over the broom behind her. He then reached around her and placed his hands on hers, moving them further up the broom handle.   
"You gain more control over the broom if you hold it further up," Harry explained. "And when you're turning, it helps if you tilt yourself with the broom, then when you dive lean forward, it helps the broom to change direction, especially if you're going fast."  
He directed her waist in various directions as he explained about accelerating and sudden braking. After a while, he got off the Firebolt and turned to face Ginny. "So, think you've got all of that?"  
Ginny grinned. "When you teach it like that, it's hard not to."  
Harry struggled to define whether there was sarcasm in her comment or not. She was smiling at least, and for some reason Harry felt this was a mark he'd done a good job. After all, smiles as gorgeous as those don't come free, you know, Harry told himself, then immediately wondered why he thought so.   
"Can I try flying now?" Ginny asked Harry who felt he couldn't say no, until his watch beeped o'clock and Harry was shocked to find it was ten p.m. already.  
"I don't believe it!" he cried. " We should have been up at the castle ages ago! I forgot that new rule, we've all got to be in our common rooms by eight."  
"Oh, yeah," said Ginny with a small groan. She screwed up her face and quoted the sign that had appeared all over the school since the Start-of-Term banquet. "New necessary safety restrictions in light of Lord Voldemort's return to power" Honestly! It's like having the Chamber of Secrets open again!"  
Harry grinned, glad that Ginny shared his view then more seriously added, "If McGonagall or someone's in the Entrance Hall when we walk in, they'll have us skinned alive!"  
"Time to see how well I've listened to your words of wisdom, I think," said Ginny with another mischievous grin. "Hop on, Harry."  
Amazed at Ginny's outgoingness, Harry grinned as he jumped onto the Firebolt behind Ginny, who extinguished the floodlights with her wand before kicking off the ground and soaring up towards the castle. She flew perfectly, radiating that passion for flight again, which Harry spotted and felt even closer to her. They rose up over the castle walls, weaving between the towers and eventually stopped outside the girls' dormitories of Gryffindor Tower.   
"Alohomora," Harry whispered and the window flew open. Ginny quickly slid off Firebolt and into her room.  
"Good night, Harry," she said with her most magnificent smile yet. "And thanks."  
"Anytime, Ginny," Harry grinned at her. "Good night."  
"Good night."  
Ten minutes later, Harry climbed into bed, his mind still buzzing with the evening's events. What was it about Ginny that made him feel so...strange? Light-hearted, expectant, he couldn't describe the rest. He'd never known her to have such a sense of humour, to be so sociable, to smile so much, to be so graceful, funny and posses any other of the qualities he now admired so much. There was something about her laughs, something about her smiles, something about her voice, something about her eyes...  
There was something about Ginny.... 


	2. The Audition

Chapter Two - The Audition.  
  
  
A beautiful full moon hung over the two figures standing on the edge of the lake in the Hogwarts grounds.  
"Ginny?" Harry began.  
"Yes, Harry?"  
"I...I think you're amazing and I..."  
"Yes?"  
"I love you, Ginny."  
"You do? Really?"  
"Really."  
Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but instead of her usual soft, sweet, beautiful voice came an icy, sour, bad-tempered male voice.  
"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Potter, and if I have to ask you to pay attention again, I'll make it a hundred and twenty!"  
Harry jerked out of his daydream and found himself back in Snape's icy dungeon in the middle of a Potions lesson. A lot of the Gryffindors frowned at him. He couldn't really blame them, this was the sixth time that day he'd lost Gryffindor house-points during lessons for not paying attention, but how could anyone expect him to devote his attention to his lessons when he was so desperately looking forward to seven o clock that evening when he'd be meeting Ginny on the Quidditch pitch again for her auditions for the Gryffindor Keeper? Her warm brown eyes and gorgeous cheeky smile kept seeping into his thoughts, blanking them out completely. Every second that ticked on his watch was a second nearer seven o clock. Ginny kept grinning and winking at him when they passed in corridors and at mealtimes, leaving him feeling so light-hearted it wasn't until Hermione poked him in the back or waved her hand in front of his face that he returned to his senses. Harry tried his best to make sure Ron didn't notice anything, as he was pretty apprehensive as to how he'd react if he found out about Harry's new feelings for Ginny. The last thing Harry wanted was another argument with Ron like the one they had last year, but how do you explain to your best friend you've got a crush (was it a crush? it seemed so much more than that) on his little sister?  
  
At long last, the bell rang at the end of Divination and Harry, jerking out of another wonderful fantasy, grabbed his schoolbag, ignored Professor Trelawney's warning for him to beware of thunderbolts, kicked the trapdoor open, jumped out before the silver ladder had unfolded, raced down to Gryffindor Tower, flung his bag down, dashed down to the Entrance Hall, ignoring the crowd trooping into the Great Hall for supper (he felt he didn't need to eat anymore, anyway), sprinted down the sloping lawns to the empty Quidditch pitch, waited a second, realised he'd forgotten his Firebolt, ran back up to the Gryffindor common room, up to his dormitory, grabbed his Firebolt, ran down the marble staircase, stopped, realised he could have saved himself a lot of trouble by using a Summoning Charm, slapped himself and kept running down to the Quidditch stadium, by which time Ginny had finished her supper and had made her way down to the pitch.   
She was gazing at the sunset, leaning against one of the goal hoops, her glossy red hair glowing in the setting sun. When she spotted Harry, she gave him a smile that would have lost him two hundred points had he been thinking about it during one of his lessons.   
"Hiya Ginny!" Harry panted.  
"Hello Harry," she smiled.  
"Sorry I'm late."  
"That's okay, I only got here a minute ago." Her smile was driving Harry crazy. "Katie, Alicia and Angelina are just finishing their supper, they said they'll be down in a minute."  
"Right."   
A slightly awkward pause followed as the grinned rather nervously at each other.   
"Had a good day?" Harry asked.  
"Busy," Ginny replied good-naturedly, then frowned slightly and added. "McGonagall got a bit shirty with me because I wasn't paying attention in her class, but I was thinking about last night and..."  
"You -you were?" Harry stammered.  
"Hiya, you two!"  
Angelina, Katie and Alicia had arrived, each wearing their scarlet Gryffindor robes and clutching their broomsticks and a Quaffle.  
"Right, Ginny," said Angelina, tossing the Quaffle from one hand to the other as she spoke, "this is what we're going to do. We're going to do our best to score against you and depending on how well you save these shots, Harry'll decide whether or not you're fit to play Keeper for us."  
She spoke warmly, with plenty of encouragement, but there was a touch of skepticism as to Ginny's capabilities in her tone that made Harry frown.  
"I've got complete confidence in you, Ginny," said Harry as he handed Ginny his Firebolt. "Just fly like we did last night, okay?"  
Was it his imagination, or did Ginny's eyes light up at the word "we"? It was just your imagination, he told himself firmly as the four girls mounted their brooms and kicked off the ground.   
At first, Alicia, Katie and Angelina seemed to be playing on a much easier level. After a few minutes, though, when they realised they had a serious candidate for the Keeper job, they sped things up and within seconds, they were playing at their best, reading each other's minds, zooming around in loops and dives, demonstrating their superb flying skills, challenging Ginny with the Quaffle at every available second, so she hardly stayed still at all. Harry was full of admiration for Ginny. He could see her determination as she lunged for the Quaffle countless times a minutes and once again felt her love for flying. After fifteen minutes, Ginny had saved most of the Chasers' fabulous attempted goals, and Harry, delighted called the girls down.   
"Harry, you'd be mad not to take her on!" gushed Alicia. "She's about as good as Oliver was!"  
"It's okay, Alicia, I don't need you to tell me she's brilliant," Harry grinned at Ginny as she landed neatly and silently next to him. "Welcome to the team, Gin," he beamed at her, outstretching his hand, which Ginny shook enthusiastically. As she did, a tingling sensation shot down Harry's spine and all over his body and he felt the last thing he wanted to do now was to release her baby-soft hand, and when he did, he did it with extreme reluctance.   
"Team practice is three times a week," he continued. "And we've got our first match of the season on Saturday." He then turned to the other three girls, "we're playing Slytherin and I've heard Malfoy's the new captain, so watch out for dirty play."   
He noticed Ginny looked slightly put out by this last comment, so he added warmly, "don't worry, Ginny. You're more than a match for them. You're an exceptionally special person, you know."  
Ginny's eyes definitely lit up this time and Harry, feeling he'd said too much added quickly, "What I meant was, you've got a very special talent when it comes to Quidditch, that's what I meant."  
Harry never knew if he'd managed to cover his tracks or if the damage had been done, because the smile Ginny had awarded him with following this comment made his knees buckle, his head spin and his mind blank.  
  
A/N Bit flimsy, I know. Next chapter should be up soon I hope. Let me know what you think. 


	3. Gryffindor versus Slytherin

Harry quickly found that the evenings of Quidditch practice had become the highlights of his week. They were the only time he could spend quality time with Ginny away from the rest of the school, from the rest of his infuriated teachers and away from his constant fear of Ron's possible and even probable reaction to his badly-disguised feelings for Ginny. The initial crush he'd had on her had developed and intensified with every night's Quidditch training. While the rest of the team went about their normal maneuvers and tactics, Harry helped Ginny develop her natural flying skills with many laughs and a lot of friendly chatting. By the end of the final training session before the Gryffindor-Slytherin match, Harry knew he loved her, though he hadn't the faintest clue what he was going to do about it. He had originally planned just to tell her on the off-chance she shared his feelings, but something held him back. First of all, he'd never been in this situation before, and secondly, he noted, with some bitterness, that the angelic smiles that cost him his marks at school were not unique to him - he'd spotted Ginny giving an almost identical grin to Colin Creevey, who was in her class. Harry was very put out by this and, apart from being a lot colder towards Colin from then on, decided it was pointless to spill the beans to her.  
Harry was also astounded that Ron hadn't noticed anything fishy about his new attitude towards Ginny. The drastic increase in Harry's feelings for her meant his schoolwork was at an all-time low and he lost more points for Gryffindor than Neville ever had. The Hogwarts teachers were furious with him and he'd been given several detentions. His love for Ginny was so blindingly obvious; Ron would have had to be an idiot not notice it. Unless he was so wrapped up in the tremendous work-load the fifth-years had been given in preparation for their O.W.L's, but Harry didn't think so somehow. Ron was never much of a hard worker when it came to schoolwork.  
  
The night before the match against Slytherin, Harry flopped onto his bed, exhausted from his hardest training session yet, and stared at the canopy above his four-poster bed, his mind full of thoughts about Ginny. He remembered the pained look in her eyes when McGonagall presented her with her new broomstick - a Cleansweep Three, which very obviously did not fulfill her undying affection for flying. Professor McGonagall explained that in light of Voldemort's return, Hogwarts was under pressure, financially, too, apparently, and could not afford to keep buying Nimbuses or Firebolts. Ginny had then forced a smile, thanked Professor McGonagall very much and returned to the Quidditch practice, her shoulders slightly hunched. Harry vowed that if anything ever happened between him and Ginny, he'd buy her a decent broom. As sleep softly settled upon him, Harry's thoughts blended together into yet another wonderful dream about the imaginary loving relationship he and Ginny shared in his mind, and in the Mirror of Erised.   
  
The following morning, Harry sat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast, all nerves about the coming match forgotten, with his elbow in his porridge staring dreamily at Ginny, who was chatting to a friend of hers further down the table. Ron, who was sitting next to him, raised an eyebrow as Harry absent-mindedly began pouring ketchup onto the table, missing his sausages by several inches.   
"Harry, you okay?" Ron asked with concern.  
"Mmmm?" Harry replied semiconsciously.  
"I asked if you were okay."  
"Oh." Harry continued to stare across the table at Ginny, who was laughing at something her friend had whispered to her. Her laugh made Harry's heart give a huge jolt and leap several inches into his throat.   
"And are you?" Ron continued  
"Am I what?"  
"Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, fine, why d'you ask?" Harry replied in his flat tone, unable to remove his gaze from her face.  
"Because you've just spilled pumpkin juice all over your porridge and you don't seem to mind very much," said Ron with a small but concerned laugh.  
"Oh, right," Harry droned, still gazing over at Ginny.  
Ron frowned and followed Harry's gaze.  
"Harry, are you staring at GINNY?" Ron exclaimed. Harry froze and returned to his senses instantly.  
"Wh-What?"  
"Why were you staring at Ginny like that?" Ron repeated, his frown deepening. Harry didn't know what to say. He'd been dreading this conversation ever since he gave Ginny her first flying lesson.  
"It's okay, Harry," said Hermione, who was sitting on Ron's other side. "You don't need to explain."  
"Yes, he does," said Ron, who looked thoroughly put out by this. "That's my sister he's staring at! He never looked at anyone like that apart from that Ravenclaw Seeker, what's her face? Chang..."  
Harry bit his lip nervously. He couldn't see how he was going to untangle himself from this one.  
"Leave him alone, Ron," said Hermione soothingly, placing a hand on his arm with remarkable fondness. "He's entitled to love anyone he wants..." Harry stared at her and she gave him a knowing wink. "Just as you're entitled to love me and I'm entitled to love you."  
Harry stared at Ron, who went bright red and avoided his eyes.  
"Yeah, well, we WERE going to tell you, don't think we weren't, it's just that well, Hermione and I have got this thing, we're..."  
"We're going out," Hermione smiled at Harry, squeezing Ron's arm affectionately.   
Ron, still red as beetroot, mumbled, "you don't mind, do you, Harry?"  
Harry grinned. He should have known something of this sort would have been responsible for Ron's ignorance of Harry's changed feelings for Ginny until now. He slapped Ron on the back and said, " Congratulations, mate! Both of you," he added, smiling at Hermione.  
"So - so you don't mind?" Ron asked quickly.  
Harry shook his head. "As long as you don't mind me, um...well, liking Ginny...?"  
"Harry, if you're going to tell her your feelings, you'd better get a move on," said Hermione, suddenly serious. " before you get any serious competition."   
She indicated Ginny who had just given Colin a warm smile. Harry growled, but didn't have time to brood on it, because next second, George walked over and said, "Oy, captain! Haven't we got a game in fifteen minutes? The Slytherin team has already left."  
"Oh right!" Harry leapt to his feet, spilling porridge down his front as he did.   
  
Fifteen minutes later, Harry, with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team standing right behind him, faced the new Slytherin squad. Malfoy, the new captain, had recruited some real thickos, Harry thought. Millicent Bulstrode, Crabbe, Goyle and the members of the old team who hadn't left Hogwarts yet all stood facing him scowling. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ginny glance sadly down at her Cleansweep Three again.   
"Captains, shake hands," said Madame Hooch briskly.  
Harry shook hands with Malfoy, trying to get a harder grip than he had.   
"Nice clean game, Slytherin," said Madame Hooch warningly.   
"No problem, miss," sniggered Malfoy with a look that said, "Not likely!"  
Madame Hooch's whistle blew sharply and the fourteen players shot into the air. Harry saw Ginny streaking towards the Gryffindor goalposts and felt another jolt in his heart. Then he turned and circled the pitch in search of the Snitch, listening particularly sharply to Lee Jordan's commentary in case anyone tried anything funny with Ginny.   
"Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell with the Quaffle heading towards the Slytherin goals, punched in the side by Crabbe who grabs the Quaffle off her...come on, Madame Hooch! That was a foul! No? Oh well, the ref missed that so no penalty. Crabbe heading towards the Gryffindor goals, time to see whether Potter's new Keeper's up to the job..."  
At these words, Harry turned sharply to watch. Ginny, slightly pale but determined-looking gripped her broom handle tightly as she faced Crabbe. Sneering menacingly, Crabbe flung the Quaffle at the furthest hoop from Ginny, who turned with lightening speed and caught it just before it went through. Cheers arose from the Gryffindors and Harry, who felt he could have kissed her just for that save, caught her eye and winked. He nearly fell off his broom with the smile she returned, but the he remembered Colin Creevey and shook off the semi- consciousness.   
"Gryffindor back in possession, nice Bludger work there by Fred (I think it's Fred) Weasley, who sends it pelting towards Goyle. Gryffindor still in possession... Alicia Spinnet scores! Ten- zero to Gryffindor!"  
As Harry cheered with the crowd below, he spotted Millicent Bulstrode, the hag-like girl Hermione was supposed to turn into using the Polyjuice Potion in their second year, charging towards the Gryffindor goals for no apparent reason. Clutching her Beater's club, she swung a Bludger towards Ginny, whose broom was too old and slow to avoid it. With the speed only a Firebolt can muster, Harry whizzed forward and kicked the Bludger back towards Bulstrode.   
"Penalty to Slytherin!" barked Madame Hooch. "Potter, you know you're not to tamper with the Bludgers, that's the Beaters' job!"  
Harry scowled, but Ginny called, "Thank you, Harry!" from behind him and he felt the anger seep out of him immediately.  
Goyle charged forward with the Quaffle and waited at the penalty line for the whistle. Ginny shivered slightly. Goyle was a lot bigger than Crabbe and more violent. As Goyle belted the red ball towards the goals, Harry noticed it moved much faster and seemed much heavier. Then he spotted Crabbe, below Goyle, clutching a Quaffle in his hand and realization struck him in time to yell, "Watch out Ginny! That's a Bludger! He's put a colour-changing charm on it!"  
At these words, Ginny swerved around the red Bludger and caught it from behind just before it swung through the hoop. Madame Hooch didn't have time to call for a penalty to Gryffindor because, as Harry beamed at Ginny for her excellent Keeping, Ginny suddenly yelled, "Harry! Behind you!"  
Whipping around, Harry saw Malfoy tearing up the pitch towards them, a glimmer of gold inches in front of him. Before Harry could accelerate, Ginny had grabbed the red Bludger she was still holding and threw it at Malfoy, who had to break sharply to avoid it and in those few crucial moments, Harry zoomed forward and grabbed the Snitch.   
Madame Hooch blew her whistle. The stands below erupted with cheers as he and the rest of the Gryffindor team made their way back towards the grassy pitch. The usual sight greeted them at the bottom, hundreds of Gryffindors slapping them on their backs, Hagrid shaking the stands with his cheers, Ron and Hermione beaming at Harry, Dumbledore congratulating them all, the extra house point to Gryffindor...   
Feeling happier and lighter than ever, Harry praised the rest of the team, slapping Fred and George's backs, shaking hands with Alicia, Katie and Angelina, and then, pure joy still coursing through him, Harry turned to the Keeper.   
Ginny stood outside the crowd, looking like she really wasn't used to such praise and admiration from the rest of her House. Harry walked up to her and grinned at her.  
"Well done, Ginny! You were brilliant!"  
Ginny smiled at him, pulling hair out of her eyes. "You did it again, Harry Potter."  
"WE did it, Ginny," Harry corrected her. "I couldn't have done it without you, you know."  
They held each other's gaze for a moment, then without any warning whatsoever, rushed at each other in a tight hug. Harry held Ginny to him, unable to believe he had her in his arms, then lifted her into the air and smiled up into her face. Her bright orange hair rippled magnificently in a slight breeze.  
"I love you, Ginny," he whispered, hardly believing he'd just said it for real.  
"Oh!" said Ginny, thoroughly startled.   
  
A/N I think you can expect another chapter, but I'm not really sure. It all depends on feedback. 


	4. Rejection

Chapter Four - Rejection.  
  
Ginny released herself from Harry's grip and took a step back. She stared at him with mingled shock and something that looked remarkably like horror. Harry's heart sank horribly. He'd waited for what seemed like forever to tell Ginny he loved her and the expression on her face gave him the ominous feeling he was in for a huge emotional blow. Ginny took another step back, her mouth slightly open with disbelief. Harry couldn't stand the silence.  
"I'm sorry, did…did I say something wrong?" he stammered quickly.  
"Harry…" Ginny began weakly, finally finding her voice. "Harry…I…I thought we were friends…"  
"We are friends," Harry said quickly.   
"But…but you just said…" there was a whine in Ginny's voice, as though she was pleading for him to take it back. "Harry…"  
There was a long pause as Ginny struggled to get the words out, while Harry bit his lip, struggling to keep his words in. Eventually, he burst out, "But what about before? In your first year, even last year…? Didn't you…?"  
"Oh, I USED to love you," said Ginny. "Oh, I loved you for ages. I loved you for three and a half years, but, really, what were the chances you'd ever love me back? I was always just Ron's little sister to you. Yeah, I hoped, I dreamed, but how long can you wait for someone you know you've got no chance with?"  
Harry stared at the grass at his feet. Ginny's words made too much sense. How could he have been so stupid? Ginny was a big girl now; she was a beautiful fourteen-going-on-fifteen year old with a LOT going for her, she'd have the sense to drop her fantasies and go for something mutual and real instead. How could he have expected her to wait for him after all this time?  
"So you don't feel anything for me now?" Harry muttered gloomily.  
"No. Nothing," said Ginny definitely. "You're a good Seeker and a good Captain and even a good flying teacher, but I don't even…" she broke off suddenly as her expression changed to what looked like pained realization. "That's why you did it, isn't it?"   
Harry looked up. "Did what?"  
"That's why you let me join the team, because you thought you'd stand a better chance with me, isn't it?" Ginny whispered in disbelief. "You didn't care about Gryffindor or anything. You didn't pick me because I was good at Quidditch, you picked me because you…"  
"No! I didn't!" Harry cried desperately. "You're brilliant at Quidditch, you won us the match today!"  
"Yeah, but you weren't to know that when you took me on!" Ginny snapped. "All you cared about was yourself! I thought you were different, Harry!"  
Harry's nerves and tear ducts were beginning to sag. "I love you, what more d'you want me to say?"  
Ginny grabbed her Cleansweep and flung it at the Whomping Willow, which stood only metres away and within seconds it was reduced to matchsticks.   
"I quit!" Ginny declared, tears beginning to leak down her cheeks. "Go find yourself another Keeper."  
Then she buried her face in her hands and ran up to the castle, crying.  
Harry stared after her, numb with shock and disbelief and weak with the excruciating pain in his heart, which felt like it had been viciously slashed with a knife. He couldn't believe it. All the dreams, all the fantasies, all the smiles, everything he felt he lived for since Ginny entered the Gryffindor changing rooms for the first time, it was all gone. All wasted because he was stupid enough to let her go when she loved him. A soft drizzle began to fall, weighing his Quidditch robes down, like his heart. He grabbed his Firebolt and kicked off the ground. He had no idea where he was going, what he was doing, he just flew blindly as far as he could from the castle. He suddenly found himself wondering if the life-sentence in Azkaban applied to the use of an Unforgivable Curse on yourself. How long and how far he flew, he neither knew nor cared as he landed on top of a lonely, bleak mountaintop. Bullet-like raindrop beat down on him as he sat in the sodden shrubbery, with his face in his arms. He knew he was extremely vulnerable, knew that outside the Hogwarts grounds, Voldemort could come swooping down on him at any moment and reunite him with his parents and Cedric, but he found he didn't really care. Eventually, exhausted from his flight and the stabbing in his heart at an unbearable peak, he cried himself to sleep.  
  
Harry was in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing when he woke up. The howling wind and the merciless rain pounded furiously at the windows, which made him feel very glad of the warm fluffy white quilts and sheets he found himself tucked in. Reaching for his glasses, memories of Ginny's reaction to the exposure of his feelings and the state and location in which he blacked out came flooding back into his confused and very sore head. As he glanced around at the empty Hospital Wing,a door at the far end of room opened and Madame Pomfrey walked over to him with a tray holding a bottle of some thick white liquid and a small goblet.   
"What am I…?" Harry began, but Madame Pomfrey, who was pouring the medicine into the goblet cut him across.   
"Bad case of pneumonia," she said, handing him the goblet. "That was a fine mess, you got yourself into. The Evening Prophet reported you missing on the day of your Quidditch match, three days ago; we all thought He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had caught up with you. Professor Dumbledore had all the teachers searching for you. He found you lying unconscious on a cliff two days ago, weak and with terrible pneumonia, brought you here…even I wasn't sure you were alive…"  
Harry drank his potion in silence.   
"You've had a fair few visitors," Madame Pomfrey went on. "Your friends, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore of course…. young Miss Weasley…"  
Harry jumped and stared at her. "Ginny's been here?"  
"Every single break-time," said Madame Pomfrey, taking the empty goblet and placing it back on the tray.   
Harry wasn't sure how he felt about this. He didn't want to get his hopes up, he'd taken too much disappointment to be able to face any more. He snuggled up under his thick quilt and removed his glasses.   
"I shall inform Professor Dumbledore of your condition," said Madame Pomfrey.   
"Will you tell Gi…I mean, Ron and Hermione, too?" Harry asked quickly.  
Madame Pomfrey smiled at him as she left the room.  
"Of course, dear."  
  
A/N Flimsy ending, I know. Just let me get the next bit up. Oh, and PLEASE review, and thanks soooo  
Much to everyone who did! 


	5. Ginny's Visit

Chapter Five - Ginny's visit.  
  
Harry spent most of the following morning dozing on and off in the Hospital Wing. Ron skived off Divination and Hermione got special permission to be excused from Arithmancy to come and visit him. They were both extremely shaken by his disappearance and, along with the rest of the school and Wizarding World apparently, both dreaded that Voldemort had finally caught up with him. Ron was just telling Harry how smug Malfoy seemed about this, when Hermione suddenly realised they were ten minutes late for Transfiguration and with one last worried glance at Harry, they raced out of the room. Harry fell asleep after that and when he awoke, it was already late afternoon.   
"Oh, good, you're awake," said Madame Pomfrey. "You've got another visitor, Potter."  
She got up and made for her office. "Yes, you can come in now, dear!" she called as she closed her office door.  
The hospital wing door opened slowly and a very pretty face with long sheets of fiery red hair looked in anxiously. Ginny walked in and closed the door quietly. Then she looked up and her eyes locked on Harry's and for a moment, they just stared at each other. Then she rushed over to him and stood by his bedside.   
"Oh, Harry!" she cried, as she stood over him. "Oh, Harry....Harry…..Oh, Harry…"  
Harry tried looking away, the ferocious flogging his heart had been taking for the past four days tripled as he looked at her eyes, but as usual, the mysterious power that radiated from Ginny's eyes hooked Harry's gaze. Close to, Harry saw she wasn't looking too well herself; she looked like she hadn't slept for days, her face was rather red and her eyes clearly told him she's been crying a lot. "Oh, Harry!" Ginny said again.   
"Sit down," Harry said weakly.   
Ginny pulled up the plastic chair next to his bed and sat down, without removed her gaze from his eyes. She looked more anxious and frightened than he'd ever seen her before as she bit her lip, looking like she was trying to say a lot of things at once and unable to say anything at all.   
"Ginny, are you…?" Harry began but his voice seemed to trigger her back to her senses because she burst out, "Harry…everything I said before…after the Quidditch match…it wasn't me…I didn't…I didn't mean a word of it…he made me do it! I tried not to…oh, Harry I'm so sorry!"  
"Whoa, slow down," said Harry quickly as tears began to leak down her face. "Calm down, have a glass of water or something…"  
Ginny dried her eyes and took several very long deep breaths. Then she swallowed and said, "You know after our last Quidditch match, when we…well, when we…hugged…well, I heard…Malfoy was so furious they'd lost the match, he pulled out his wand and… when you lifted me into air and said you….I heard him whisper "Imperio" from behind us and he put this really really powerful Imperius Curse on me, much more powerful than anything Moody showed us in class…and he…he made me say all of those things…believe me, Harry, that was the last thing I felt like saying and…and I tried fighting off the curse, I really did but I couldn't do it…I saw him laughing as he made me run up to the castle…oh, Harry I'm so so sorry!"   
Harry's head, already throbbing with physical pain had to work overtime to take all of this in. He could dimly remember seeing a pale, pointed face with cold eyes laughing at him through the rain as he took off on his Firebolt three days ago, with his heart ripped to ribbons.  
"I was so worried about you," Ginny continued between dry sobs. "…everyone knows You-Know-Who's after you…you could have been killed…or died of pneumonia or something and it would have been my fault...Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry!"  
"It would have been Malfoy's fault," Harry corrected her quickly. "And you've got nothing to be sorry for."  
Ginny sniffed.  
"So…so you didn't mean anything you said?" Harry asked, fighting to keep the hope and delight out of his voice. "I mean, about the House team?" he added quickly.  
Ginny seemed to see right through him. "I didn't mean a word, Harry," she said, drying her eyes. "Not a word about anything that was said. I didn't want to quit as Keeper and I never suspected you of letting me join the Gryffindor team for your own interests, because I know you're a very devoted Captain, and you gave me a very thorough audition…" her voice tailed away.  
"So, are we still friends, then?" Harry asked somewhat nervously.   
Ginny flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, which didn't help his physical condition, but made his heart race and the knot in his stomach unravel. He wound his arms around her back and held her tightly to him.  
"Yes, we're still friends," said Ginny quietly as they drew apart, then whispered, "we can be more than that, too, if you're still feeling the same way, Harry."  
Harry's eyes widened. "Why, are you…?"  
"I told you, I didn't mean a word Malfoy made me say," said Ginny with a beautifully mischievous grin. "I didn't mean what I said about not waiting for you. I've loved you for almost four years, Harry. I'm not about to stop now!"  
Harry's jaw dropped. "you mean you still do?"  
"More than ever."  
"Wow," was all Harry could say. "You really mean that?"  
"I'll prove it to you, if you don't believe me," she smiled.  
She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips and it was a few moments before Harry could quite grasp what was happening. When he did, He placed one hand on the back of her head and pulled her in deeper as he began twitching his own lips into life. It was the most wonderful thing he'd ever experienced, he was surely in a dream, this was far too good to be real, he was bound to wake up any moment…but Snape's angry voice, taking more points off Gryffindor never came and Harry could hardly believe it. When their kiss drew to a close, Ginny smiled magnificently at him and her eyes glowed warmly.   
"I love you, Harry Potter," she said quietly.   
  
A/N. More to come. You haven't heard the last from me yet! Oh, and thanks ssoooooooooooo so very very very much to everyone who reviewed this story! I really really appreciate it and it means a lot to me, so thanks! 


	6. The Night Flight

Chapter Six - The Night flight.  
  
  
"Meet me at the Quidditch pitch at nine o clock tonight.  
All my love,  
Your Harry."  
  
Ginny, bemused, looked up from the note Harry had stuffed into her hand as they passed in the corridor and stared at him.   
"Will you be there?" Harry asked her.  
Ginny, who didn't need the hint of pleading in Harry's voice to persuade her, let her bemused expression melt into a gracious smile.   
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she said and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
  
Harry, unable to pace the Gryffindor common room any longer, now paced the smooth lawns of the Quidditch pitch, bitterly wishing he'd arranged an earlier time to meet Ginny. He couldn't believe it was only quarter to nine. It was three weeks since Ginny had come to visit him in the hospital wing and fulfilled all of his dreams by telling him his love for her was mutual. In those three weeks, Harry was extremely frustrated to find he had very little time to spend with her, what with his teachers' mercilessly humongous homework piles and his O.W.L revision, for which he had to furiously harass his brain into concentrating during almost every evening in the common room. Only the nights of Quidditch practice remained, and even then, now that Ginny had proved herself as a serious player at Gryffindor's first match of the year, Harry had no excuse to spend any more time with her during practice than with any other team member as he trained them all for their next match against Ravenclaw. As Ginny no longer owned a broom, he let her use his Firebolt during practices, while he borrowed one of the school's Shooting Stars. He found this whole isolation from Ginny very frustrating. They hadn't kissed since Madame Pomfrey had released Harry from the hospital wing, the day after Ginny's first visit…  
"Harry!" called a beautiful soft voice from the sloping lawns leading down from the castle.  
Harry looked up and there she was, Ginny Weasley, the most incredible person to walk the earth, walking towards him, her long glossy sheets of hair reflecting the pale blue moonlight.  
"Hiya Ginny!" Harry smiled. "You're a bit early aren't you? It's only ten-to."  
"Want me to go back up to the school for another ten minutes?" she asked him with her gorgeous mischievous smile.   
"Nah, I'll let you off this time," said Harry, moving closer.   
Ginny wormed her arms around Harry's neck and they shared a short, gentle kiss.   
"I've been waiting a long time to do that, Ginny," Harry said quietly, when they drew apart.  
"Not as long as I have," she replied softly.   
"Oh, sorry I kept you waiting for so long," said Harry quickly. "I had no idea…I dunno what was wrong with me…"  
"You don't need to explain, Harry," Ginny said, soothingly, placing a finger on his lips. "Good things come to those who wait. I never understood that until our last Quidditch match, when my waiting paid off…"  
"Oh, you've just reminded me," said Harry suddenly, removing his arms from Ginny's back and stepping back.   
"Oh, yeah, why DID you want to meet here of all places?" Ginny smiled with a kind of light cheerful suspicion. "And why," she added, staring at the broomstick that lay at Harry's feet, "did you bring your Firebolt?"  
"You're about to find out," Harry grinned mysteriously, as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the Hogwarts castle. "Accio!"  
Puzzled, Ginny gazed up at the castle as something long and thin came soaring out of one of the towers and dived down towards them. It seemed to be long slim box, wrapped in pink and gold wrapping paper, with a single word inscribed upon in Harry's untidy handwriting "Ginny." The curious parcel flew straight into Harry's hands and he handed it over to Ginny, who stared at him curiously.   
"What's all this about?" she asked him, her eyebrows raised in that same light suspicion.  
"You won't know until you open it," Harry said simply.  
Ginny carefully unwrapped the parcel and as the fancy paper fell away, she uttered a loud gasp of disbelief. Polished so the moonlight gleamed across the entire length of it and in a state of perfection that made Harry's broom look like a Nimbus, a dazzling brand new Firebolt lay lightly in her hands, every centimetre glistening magnificently.  
"Happy un-birthday, Ginny," Harry grinned as she stared at it transfixed, clearly unable to accept what she was seeing.   
"Harry, this must have cost a fortune," was the first thing Ginny whispered once she found her voice. She ripped her gaze from the stunning new broom and stared at his ridiculously green eyes.  
Harry shrugged. "I told you I loved you," he smiled innocently.   
"But..but Harry, you don't need to go buying me things to show me you love me," she insisted. "I know you do anyway."  
"Well…good!"  
"Oh Harry, you're impossible!" Ginny beamed as she dropped her Firebolt and flung her arms around him again and rewarded him with a kiss that made their first one in the hospital wing seem like a cold peck. Harry's mind was instantly wiped blank as their tangle of lips and arms intensified, and as he pulled Ginny closer to him. In nothing short of paradise, Harry held her tightly to him, breathing with her, sharing the same heartbeat, the heartbeat that had tripled its pace….  
When they mutually yet wordlessly ended their kiss, Harry said, "so, want to take it for a test-drive? Want to go somewhere else?"  
Ginny glanced at her superb new broom before grinning at him. "You're on!"   
"Up!" they both cried and both Firebolts sprang into their outstretched hands. They boarded their brooms and kicked off simultaneously, the cool night air whipping impressively through Ginny's hair, making every lock catch the moonlight to the tip. Harry's heart lighter than ever before, they rose out of the Hogwarts grounds, leaving the lake and the Forbidden Forest behind, over dark hills and silvery-blue ponds and rivers. Ginny kept cutting Harry off, kissing him on the cheek and flying alongside him again.   
After a while, they landed softly on a hillock, overlooking a moon-bathed waterfall cascading majestically into the pool below. They set their Firebolts at their sides, as they sat on the dewy grass, gazing at the wonders of nature, Ginny's head on Harry's shoulder and Harry's arm draped over her back, running his fingers through her glorious hair. Utterly relaxed, Ginny's eyes closed and Harry, unable to believe how lucky he was, held her closer.  
Just as he was about to close his eyes too, there was a tremendous bang from the other side of the pool and an enormous formation of emerald green stars rose into the cold night air - the Dark Mark. All around him, Harry heard Death Eaters Apparating, their cloaks swishing as they appeared out of nowhere, closing in. He grabbed Ginny and shook her roughly awake.  
"Ginny, come on! Voldemort's…just come on, grab you Firebolt and let's get out of here!"  
Ginny didn't need telling twice. She snatched her broom and kicked off the ground, rising as fast as her Firebolt would go away from the pack of Death Eaters. It was a few moments before she realised Harry wasn't immediately behind her.   
Some fifteen feet below her, Harry struggled to keep hold of his Firebolt as a Death Eater on the ground made it twitch and jerk violently, furiously trying to buck him off. Harry had only felt this once before - in his very first Quidditch match when Quirrel cursed his Nimbus, but there was no Hermione to set fire to anyone now. Harry's knee slipped and next second he was hanging by his fingertips, still about twenty feet from the ground. Lucius Malfoy's cold laugh issued from under the hooded mask below as he brought the wild Firebolt lower and lower, with Harry clinging on for dear life.  
"Ginny, go! Save yourself!" Harry yelled, as his broom, still fighting to kick him off, dropped several metres nearer the Death Eaters.   
  
A/N Okay, okay, corny, I know. Very corny. I dunno why I couldn't just leave it as a "happily ever after". Never mind. And before you all stone me alive, there IS more coming! I'm not that cruel, you know ;-) I just seem to like cliffies.   
Oh, and thanx again, soooooooo so much to everyone who reveiwed. Those reveiwes mean a lot to me! 


	7. Keeper and Seeker

Ginny didn't stop to think. Using her superb natural flying skills, she pulled into a spectacular dive, gripping her Firebolt with one hand as she plunged the other into her robes, whipped out her wand and aimed it at Harry's mad Firebolt.  
"Finite incantatem!"   
Harry's wild bucking broomstick froze instantly and as she pulled out of her sharp dive, Ginny grabbed a handful of his robes and managed to haul his leg over the handle. As she helped him clamber back onto his now mercifully static Firebolt, Lucius Malfoy's cold voice issued from under the hooded mask again below them, his wand raised.  
"Accio broomstick!"   
Ginny, who had her back to him, whipped around and blocked the Summoning Charm with a well-aimed Stunning Spell which shot directly at Malfoy, knocking him to the ground senseless.   
"Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!" Ginny yelled as she hit every Death Eater she could with the jets of red sparks.  
As Harry seated himself back on his Firebolt, he heard several Death Eaters Disapparate around them apparently scared off by Ginny's Stunning Spells. Those that weren't quick enough lay Stunned on the ground next to Malfoy.  
"Come on, Harry," said Ginny, breathing heavily and glaring furiously at the Stunned Death Eaters on the grass below them. "Let's get back to school and see if we can get Dumbledore to arrest these idiots."  
Then she jerked her Firebolt into life and flew off in the direction of the castle.  
"Wow, what a woman!" was all Harry could think as he sped off after her.  
  
Harry yawned as he made his way down to breakfast the following morning. The whole fiasco with the Death Eaters, which involved flying back to school, finding Dumbledore, taking him back to the waterfall where Lucius Malfoy and several others lay Stunned, flying back to the school, sending owls to the Magical Law Enforcement department of the Ministry of Magic, waiting with the Death Eaters until the Ministry officials arrived and overseeing the arrest, meant that neither he nor Ginny got to bed much before two in the morning.   
"You tired, sweetheart?" Ginny asked him with a kiss as he seated himself next to her at the Gryffindor table.   
"A bit, yeah," Harry admitted with a grin.   
"I don't blame you," she smiled, running her fingers through his hair lovingly. "We had a very busy late night last night."  
"Well, it's all paid off!" grinned Hermione, two seats down from Harry. "It's all over this morning's Daily Prophet. See for yourselves."  
She handed them the morning paper with a contented smile. On the front page in huge black writing were the words "MALFOY FINALLY CAUGHT!" Phrases jumped out at Harry as he and Ginny scanned the article beneath the headline. "Seven Death Eaters arrested last night…." "….among them Lucius Malfoy, once school governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…." "…arguably one of the most notorious supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…" "…Stunned around ten o clock last night from a distance by the superb flying skills and outstanding aim and courage of Miss Virginia Weasley, 14, daughter of Arthur Weasley, now promoted to the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department…."  
"That's my girl," grinned Harry, putting his arm around Ginny and kissing her.   
"Good way as any to pay old Draco back for putting that Imperius Curse on me and almost ruining our relationship," smiled Ginny through a mouthful of Harry's lips.  
Ron, delighted though he undoubtedly was to hear about Lucius Malfoy's capture and his dad's promotion, looked painfully uncomfortable as he watched his best friend and his little sister sharing such a passionate kiss.   
"Um, Harry, haven't you got a game soon?" he asked quickly.   
Harry untangled his lips from Ginny's and glanced at his watch. It was Saturday the 16th! How could he have forgotten the match against Ravenclaw he and the rest of the team had been training for over the past month?   
"We've got ten minutes to change and be on the pitch!" said Harry urgently. He sprang to his feet and pulled Ginny to hers. "What is it with you?" he asked her with a loving smile. "somehow you always make me late for everything!"  
"You tell me," she said cheekily as she kissed him on the cheek and raced him to the changing rooms.  
Ron pulled a sour face as he watched them.  
  
As the Gryffindor Quidditch team faced the seven blue-and-bronze-robed Ravenclaws, Harry spotted Cho standing at the back. She looked pale and slightly ill, and Harry assumed she was still mourning Cedric. Feeling Ginny's eyes on him, Harry wasn't really surprised at all when he didn't feel the usual warm rush towards Cho he always got when he was with her. Yes, Cho was pretty and popular, but Ginny had qualities Cho could never have, humour, grace, warmth, love, her own unique Ginny Weasley charm….  
Madame Hooch's whistle interrupted his thoughts as the fourteen players and referee soared into the cold morning air. He winked at Ginny as she whizzed off to the Gryffindor goalposts. Lee Jordan was still at his old job….  
"And they're off! After the amazing game Gryffindor played last time, this looks like a promising…hey! Where did the Gryffindor Keeper get that Firebolt from? Are the school dishing out Firebolts now to new team members? Hmmm…maybe I should join the Gryffindor team…"  
"Jordan, the commentary, if you please?" snapped Professor McGonagall sourly.   
"Oh right. Angelina Johnson with the Quaffle…good Bludger work there by old what's-his-name from Ravenclaw….Quaffle intercepted, grabbed by one of the Ravenclaw Chasers…I've really got to start memorising their names…heading for the Gryffindor goals…OUTSTANDING save there by Ginny Weasley! See what an extra Friebolt can do to a team? Maybe you should get some for non-team members, too, Professor…."  
"JORDAN!"  
"Well, I'm just saying if it was difficult for the commentator to see what was going on, he might need a broomstick to get up there and…."  
"And he might need a replacement if he doesn't do his job commentating!" said Professor McGonagall icily.  
"Okay, okay," groaned Lee. "Gryffindor in possession…."  
Half an hour later, Ginny had pulled several more amazing saves, while Alicia, Angelina and Katie used their unique Chasing skills to bring the score to…  
"…Seventy-ten to Gryffindor! George Weasley sending a well-aimed Bludger at…hang on! What's Chang doing?"  
Harry, who had just flashed Ginny a thumbs up, turned and spotted Cho diving, the Snitch inches before her.  
"Ravenclaw Seeker closing in on the Snitch," Lee said fearfully. "Come on, Harry! Use your accele….oh no."  
Before Harry could draw level with her, Cho's fingers closed on the tiny golden ball, Madame Hooch's whistle blew and the Ravenclaw end of the crowd burst into a tremendous applause.   
The Weasley twins shot at the ground in frustration, Katie, Alicia and Angelina just looked shocked and Harry, unable to face anyone slowly lowered himself to the pitch where the Ravenclaw team were being awarded their extra house-points and celebrations.  
  
Ron leapt over the barrier to the pitch and stormed over to Harry and Ginny.  
"See?" he yelled at Harry. "I told you not to get involved with her! You've just lost us the match because you couldn't stop drooling over her! Couldn't take your eyes off her for a moment to even think about Gryffindor! We're out of the running! Congratulations, Harry! I hope you're pleased with yourself…"  
Ginny slapped Ron.  
"Get lost, Ron!" she hissed. "You know very well that if you and Hermione were on the same team, you wouldn't be able to do your job properly either!"  
Ron glared at them both for a moment before storming back up to the castle.  
"Sorry about him," said Ginny once he'd gone.  
"That's okay. I suppose if I had a sister and he started dating her, I'd act the same," Harry shrugged, staring at the grass. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to look at her face.  
"No, you wouldn't," Ginny smiled. "I know you, you'd be happy for him, not mean and…."  
Harry looked up and caught a very cold look from the Gryffindor Chasers and from several Prefects, who walked past him in silence.  
He sighed and turned to Ginny. "I'm sorry. I've let you down, haven't I? Ron's right, I wasn't thinking of Gryffin…"  
"You could never let me down," Ginny interrupted with a smile. "Never. No matter what you do, I'll always love you."  
She leaned over and gave him a short reassuring kiss.  
"Thanks, Gin," Harry smiled.  
"Besides, it's not over yet," Ginny went on. "Ron's wrong, we're not out of the running yet. If Hufflepuff beat Slytherin and if Ravenclaw lose to Hufflepuff, we go into second place and then the finals…"  
"Sweet, smart and gorgeous," Harry beamed at her. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"  
"Good question, that's what I'd like to know," Ginny grinned mischievously. "Only joking, Harry, you did everything to deserve me. You saved hundreds of lives, you've not let your fame turn you into Lockhart or someone, you're sweet, you're kind, you're caring, you're brave, you'll do anything to help anyone….that's why I love you, and that's why I'm yours."  
Harry couldn't think of anything to say. He just grinned.  
  
A/N The end? I'm not sure…depends on feedback, as always, you know! Thanks to all the reveiwers! 


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